Jaw Position and Mouthguards Improve Performance

      An article in the sports section of  the Los Angeles Times, from Friday November 6^th  has  attracted a great deal of interest and questions among patients.

  The article titled “Money were mouth is” discusses  how custom-fitted mouthguards  give athletes “increased strength, flexibility and endurance by optimizing their bite”  Forty of the then undefeated New Orleans Saints  Pro Football team  are now wearing the special mouthguards.  The Makkar PPM (Pure Power Mouthguard) is designed not only to protect the teeth but also to “align the lower jaw in an optimal position.”

       As most of you who read my articles know, I am a big fan of a “balanced bite.”  That is when the teeth, jaw joints and muscles work in harmony with each other.  It is a known clinical fact that a bad bite can cause multitude of problems such as sore jaw joints, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, headaches, neck and back pain and the list can go on.  According to PPM “a misaligned jaw puts pressure on cranial nerves and tenses jaw muscles.  An aligned jaw opens the breathing airway and relieves pressure on the articular disc.”

So if I am asked if a mouthguard can  improve performance, my answer is possibly.  Is a mouth guard a necessity for anyone playing a sport – absolutely!